The Labor enquirer., 1887-09-10
csmrads Hink!s veIces the
Views ot Or impatient
Socialists"
He Wants an Immediate Result and
Cites stock and shallow krgu.
ments Favoring 1t.
ToBYHANNA, Pa, Aug. 20.

articles on The Three Highway
men" and american Character
] am a Socialist myself and agree
with you thoroughly in your re-
marks concerning the collective
tendency of American institutions
But, so far, Socialists, although
educating the masses and dissem.
mating views as scientific theories
that need only to put into prac-
tice to make them facts, have
made no concerted political ac-
ton to down the three highway
men your article mentions.
We can only accomplish one
thing at a time, and all our ener-
gies should at present be devoted
to the abolition of Robber Lapd-
lord. We must make a start
somewhere, and until we do So
cialism must be considered in the
light of "glittering generalities"-
a Hamlet in thought instead of a
Richard in action. | think we can
safely leave out Prohibition as a
side issue-I am surprised that a
man of John Hipp's attainments
should present such an illogical
cause of poverty as intemperance
and return to our three rascals;
and in the Henry George move
, ment bold attack has been made
upon the stronghold of the en-
emy.
There can be no question but
that iRthe land movement George
has started on the ground floor,
and in attacking Robber Landlord
he has ais d made move upon
Robber Proht-rent is species of
proht-and Robber Interest-in-
terest is species of rent. And
we ought TO do all in our power to
help George, even if his his tax
reform is denominated a one-idea
affair. So was negro slavery, and
it was abolished. The republican
party had its foundation on that
rock. N ext comes land slavery,
then wage slavery, then money
slavery. 1t has been said that
the love of money was the root
Of all evil" but money in itself is
great evil.)
Let us, then, start out with a
single object in view-the freeing
Of the land by the adoption of a
scientific remedy, the single tax
and not, like the republican and
democratic parties, be overbur-
Adened with a platform of planks
IA circle without beginning or
end. 1t seemed a harsh measure
for George to drive out the So
cialists' but it was absolutely nee
essary in order to present to the
public a definite plan for actio n,
and to prepare a straight path
through the forest of Socialism.
We can't do without Henry
George. His e'Progress and Pow
crty' is the best work on political
economy ever written, and the
start he has made in the labor
movement must lead to victory if
We follow it up. Rome was not
built in a day. nor will labor be
emancipated in a year. AS
George says: Let the Socialists
come with us, and they will 60
faster and further in this direction
than they can go alone; and when
we stop they can, il they chose,
try to keep p on"
The New York Sm privately
recognize 5 the fact that we can &C
further With George than alone
but alter savagely attacking So
cialism TOR two years suddenly dis
covers Cpublicly) that alarmed
by the great success of the George
movement-it (Socialism) is logi.
cal and that George is not. In or.
der to follow a thing to logical
conclusion we must make a start
logic has starting point-and i,
is Georges logical start and polit.
ical success which has alarmed the